Every bill and service that you have as a homeowner has to be connected to your home somehow. The water you use, the electricity that turns your lights on, even the sewer system that carries water to and from your toilet have to have ways to get into and out of your home. But what if one of these pipelines breaks? We’ll explain what could happen and give you some details about service line coverage.
Does home insurance cover if a pipe, cable line, or electric wiring breaks underground?
Normally, people think that it’s the job of the service provider to fix the thing that’s, well, providing the service. The scary reality is that if the line is on your property, it’s your job as the homeowner to get it fixed. So, especially if the break isn’t just affecting your house, you could end up paying the repair costs out of pocket if you don’t have the right insurance. However, there is an endorsement that can save you from this headache: Service Line Coverage.
What is service line coverage?
Service line coverage is a home insurance endorsement that can help you repair:
- Power Lines
- Electrical wiring
- Phone & Cable lines
- Drainage
- Fuel lines
- Water pipes
- Waste disposal
- Sewer piping and backup
- Private wells and septic systems
that are on your property.
Even if the damage is caused by something outside of your control, service line coverage can help you repair leaks, breaks, tears, ruptures, collapses, or arcing of service lines due to:
- Corrosion
- Frozen surrounding ground or service lines
- Root systems blocking or growing into the service line
- Lightning
- Landscaping accidents
- Rodents and pests
Why doesn’t my property insurance cover service lines?
You may be wondering, “If service lines are a part of my property, why doesn’t the property damage section of my home insurance cover damage to service lines?” The answer mainly lies in the wording of your policy. If you’ll remember, property damage coverage usually covers:
- Fire
- Smoke damage
- Lightning
- Windstorms
- Falling objects
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Hail
- Damage caused by the weight of snow, sleet, or ice
- Explosions
- Damage caused by vehicles or aircrafts
Basically, (and specifically noted in your homeowners’ policy), your home insurance is built to deal with damages that are freak accidents, not damages due to a lack of maintenance. Most damage to service lines is due to a lack of upkeep. So, even though you can’t exactly dig up your yard every so often to check on your service lines, your homeowners’ insurance won’t cover those types of damages.
Additionally, most homeowners’ insurance policies don’t cover damage done to the actual land that your house is on. (Weird, right?) Instead, it’s built to cover the structures that sit on the land, such as the structure of your actual home and most other structures that may be in your yard, such as fences, sheds, gazebos, pools, etc.
How much does service line coverage cost?
Like home insurance itself, there are tons of factors that go into determining your rates for service line coverage. So, there’s no real way to tell what you would pay to add the coverage, although it’s usually not that much.
If you want to add this endorsement to your home insurance or you just want better rates on your homeowners’ policy, contact our agents today. our agents will get to know your particular needs and use our connections with various carriers to get you the best rates on quality coverage. To get started, give us a call, fill out our online form, or LiveChat with a professional today!